Mori's Motorcycle
by gardeniagardens
Summary: The quietest member of the host club discovers that he has won a prize: a brand new motorcycle! This bike couldn't possibly change anything, right?
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to Mori's Motorcycle, my new project! As always, please read and review. Help and ideas are always appreciated!

* * *

The Host Club was in full swing when Haruhi came walking in with her school bag slung over her shoulder. Everywhere, ladies were enraptured with the hosts that entertained them. Voices intermingled into a pleasant din. The smell of freshly-brewed tea mixed with the faint scent of roses hung in the air. As the twins leaned so close that a sheet of paper couldn't be slid between them, Haruhi's eardrums nearly burst from the echoing cries of moe. She could see Tamaki surrounded by several guests who were hanging onto his every word. A few feet away Kyouya stood, writing quickly in his mysterious black notebook. On the far side of the room, Honey and Mori were sharing cake with their guests. Behind them, a window that stretched to the ceiling bathed everyone in warm spring sunshine.

It was another typical day, save for one thing: Haruhi was clutching a white envelope. Two things, actually, as she was also out of breath. She rarely ran to the host club, and to see her panting was unusual.

Kyouya was the first to notice her entrance, glancing up from his writing to see the small host enter, look around, and then make a beeline to the far side of the room. His expression as he watched her movements was on of placid interest. Her late entrance was quickly noted in his notebook with a timestamp. The thought crossed his mind that this was the second time this month, and he vaguely considered a punishment should the event repeat itself. Double her debt, maybe? His pen tapped thoughtfully against his lips as he remained where he stood. Few things moved him from where he stood, certainly not Haruhi's arrival. After all, he only played the part of the silent observer during regular club hours, rarely entertaining guests of his own save for when they wanted to purchase Host Club memorabilia.

Tamaki was the first to notice, and then act on the newest host's entrance. His eyes lit up. He leapt to his feet, ignoring any sense of manners in front of his guests because his precious daughter had arrived! "Come to Daddy, daughter dearest! I was starting to worry where you had g-"

She blatantly passed him by. Tamaki immediately fell back onto the sofa, wilting like an ancient flower. Haruhi didn't notice his antics, for the letter had taken all priority in her mind. As she neared the table where the two oldest hosts sat, she held it up so they could see. Hunny was mid-chew, but still smiled energetically when he saw that Haruhi had finally arrived. "Haru-chan! Would you like some cake?"

Mori was ever silent, ducking his head slightly in greeting.

Haruhi shook her head, and passed the letter to Mori. "This is for you," she said, still breathing quickly. He looked at it strangely, then back up to her with eyes that asked to fill in the blanks. She quickly complied, " A man caught me when I was leaving the library, and asked that I pass this on to you. He was rather insistent."

Honey put his fork down, his focus now entirely centered on the white envelope in Mori's hands. "What is it, Takashi?" he asked innocently, trying with little success to hide the curiosity in his voice. His cousin said nothing, and still refused to open the paper in his hand. Something was making him hesitant, and Honey couldn't handle it. He looked at the two guests seated at their table with wide eyes, putting on his best act. If he couldn't convince Mori, then he would get someone else to do it for him. "Don't you ladies think Takashi should open the letter?" he pleaded. They started to nod, but then Mori's gaze turned to them and they froze.

"Oh, Honey-senpai," one stammered, looking uncomfortable. "If Mori-senpai doesn't want to…"

"We shouldn't make him…" the other faltered. They exchanged worried glances, and the air grew thick with tension.

Honey, realizing his efforts were wasted on the girls, turned to Haruhi. She'd been standing idly by, watching the events unfold. He propped himself up on his knees in the chair and clasped onto her arm, his eyes the size of dinner plates. "Haru-chan!~" he cooed, and she looked down at him in surprise.

"What is it, Honey-senpai?"

"Don't you he should open the envelope?"

"Oh!" she put a thoughtful finger to her chin before speaking again. "I don't-"

A hand clapped down on her shoulder. "-I think that is an excellent idea," Kyouya's cool voice trailed over Haruhi's suddenly-stiff shoulder. How had he crossed the room so quickly? It was almost eerie how he managed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. "We're all very curious to see," his voice sounded almost threatening to Haruhi, as if Kyouya was suggesting something sinister. But that didn't make sense to her, why would Kyouya concern himself with what looked like just another letter?

Mori, seemingly unfazed, ran his finger under the envelope lip and tore it open. At the sound, the three hosts that hadn't been involved rose to their feet and crept over, peering around Kyouya at what the quietest member of the host club was doing. Haruhi could just seen the tips of Tamaki's blonde hair out of the corner of her eyes. The room was dead silent; all eyes were on Mori and his mystery letter. Even the guests had gotten up to look, and were whispering excitedly amongst themselves. Haruhi thought it was a lot of fuss over some paper. If these people got so worked up over one letter, imagine what would happen if she showed them her mailbox at home? Rich bastards. Pulling out the letter inside, he unfolded it and started to read silently.

Tamaki couldn't take it anymore; now he was in the same boat as nosy Honey. "What does it say, Mori-senpai?" he asked hesitantly. Everyone in the host club had the worst in mind, except for Kyouya, Someone had died. Someone had sent him a ransom for his family. Someone wanted him dead. Mori looked up at the King, his face blank. "I've won a prize," he said.

"A prize? From a secret admirer?" Tamaki cried, his eyes glazing over as he fell into Tamaki Theater. The other hosts, realizing what had happened, ignored him and turned their focus back to Mori, who was holding the letter as though it were poisoned.

"Did you enter a contest?" Haruhi asked, thinking of the mail-in postcards she had waiting at home. The image of Mori filling out one of those tiny cards was so strange she shook her head to push it from her thoughts. "Those are very difficult to win."

"I would win any prize for you, Haruhi!" Tamaki had apparently come out of his mind-theatre, as he was now staring earnestly into her eyes. She squirmed against his grip, but it remained steadfast. "Fancy tuna, crab, whatever your commoner heart desires!" Was he...on the verge of tears? She could see the tell-tale sparkling in his eyes, and looked away. This was getting ridiculous.

"The best prizes for our little toy!" the twins chimed as they sandwhiched her in between them.

Tamaki cupped her chin, forcing her gaze up to his eyes. "What does your heart desire, daughter dearest?" he crooned, his breath warm on her face.

Any weaker girl would have buckled at the knees, but Haruhi just deadpanned and said, "Let me go." Tamaki, looking as though he had been struck by lightning, crumpled to his feet. The twins, panicked about their weakened boss, dragged him away to recuperate. Again, the focus returned to Mori, who was shaking his head.

"I did not enter a contest," he muttered.

"But you did win a prize," Kyouya intoned, and Mori handed him the letter. Kyouya scanned it, and a small smile crept on his lips. He looked thoroughly amused, but kept the letter's contents out of sight from anyone else. "Did you have a chance to read what you had won?"Mori shook his head, and Kyouya handed the letter back to him. What happened next was very interesting: he paled, and re-read the letter. For the first time since they had met, Haruhi saw Mori look uncomfortable. He stared back at Kyouya, who still had that little smile on the corner of his lips. "I'm afraid it is quite legitimate," he answered the unspoken question in Mori's eyes, and the senior slumped a little.

"What did you win, Takashi?" Honey was nearly climbing over his tall cousin's shoulder trying to read the letter. The rest of the club had fallen silent. Haruhi could see that the twins and Tamaki had returned to tne circle, hanging onto every word.

Mori sank his head into his hand, tossing the letter onto the table. "A motorcycle," he rumbled. At the bottom of the letter was a small photo of a black and chrome motorcycle, sidecar included. The entire club, save for a smiling Kyouya, gaped in shock.

From behind Haruhi, a large generator began to rumble, and she could hear Renge's sinister laugh echo around the room.


	2. Chapter 2

a/n - welcome to chapter 2! Thank you so much to those that have reviewed. You are all a delight. :) Onwards!

* * *

Renge's laughter made Haruhi's hair stand on end as the otaku wound up into the sky on a motor-powered platform. Wasn't this supposed to be a music room? Where were the instruments? Haruhi mentally shook her head, waiting to hear what foolishness would tumble out of the girl's mouth. She could never predict was Renge was going to say, and figured this was probably a good thing. If Renge ever became predictable, then it was time for Haruhi to have a serious consideration over her choice of extra-curriculars.

"This is absolutely perfect!" the girl cried, bounding down from the platform, which automatically began to wind back down into the floor. "This couldn't be more perfectly prepared!"

"Eh, Renge, what are you wearing?" the twins frowned, and Haruhi realized that Renge was actually wearing yet another cosplay. Funny, she didn't remember her wearing that in class earlier. Judging by the twin's expressions, they didn't either.

"Oh this?" the only time Renge seemed to stop was when someone asked her about her cosplay. She struck a dramatic pose, "This is the female uniform for the anime 'Special A'! Isn't it great? I made it just last week!" The twins didn't say anything, but that didn't seem to matter to her as her attention had quickly shifted back to Mori. He had handed the letter back to Kyouya, the Club lawyer, as if to check just one more time the legitimacy of the letter. Renge snatched the paper from the Shadow King's hand and scanned it. "This is absolutely fantastic! A motorcycle will do wonders for your image!"

Image? Oh no, not again. Haruhi realized that the girl was still trying to fit the club members to her ideals. "Renge, don't you remember how-"

Renge's slim hand slapped Haruhi's mouth shut as she continued, "Any wild-type should be riding a motorcycle; it's only natural! The open road, the rugged leather exterior covering up a tender soul within." Haruhi noticed a faint tinge of pink on Mori's face, but couldn't fathom why it would be there. "Why, it's as perfect as Honey and his Usa-chan! Oh, Mori-senpai, tell me that you have longed to travel the open road in solitude, looking for your one and only…"

As she prattled on, Haruhi turned to catch Kyouya by the sleeve. He looked up from his notebook, which had mysteriously reappeared. "Yes, Haruhi?"

"Do you think it is a good idea to let Mori-senpai keep the motorcycle?" she asked.

He pressed up on his glasses and looked over at the senior in question, who was keeping a blank expression in the face of Renge's enthusiasms. A glimmer of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips; Haruhi couldn't help feel uneasy seeing it. It was rare that Kyouya smiled. "Why not?" he said, gaze still focused on the lady manager. "It is already eliciting an excellent response from one of our most dedicated guests."

Haruhi watched as Renge's movements grew more dramatic; she was truly excited about the prize. Something nagged at the back of her mind, a half-formed feeling of concern, of ill omen. Still, if Kyouya was already convinced, then Mori may as well have already been riding the bike. It was too late to pretend that the letter hadn't come.

Tamaki, who had been recuperating up to this point, perked up at the sound of the otaku's fantasizing.. He swept in front of Renge , a cheap crown from a previous costume sitting on his head. "If Mori has a cool-type motorcycle, then can this be my princely-type prop?" he begged, and the twins swept in with a royal red cape and a scepter, which the King gladly took. "How is this for princely?"

"No!" Renge said shrilly, knocking the crown off of his head. "It's all wrong! A princely-type character should be more subtle about his royal tendencies!" She continued to berate him, but Tamaki hung onto every word as though it was advice.

Behind them, Haruhi could see Mori start to pack his schoolbag to go home. Honey was clinging to his leg. "But Takashi, don't you want to see it?" he cried, on the verge of tears. "You don't even have to ride it, just look at it!"

Mori visibly cringed at the sound of his cousin's whining, but he also stopped packing his bags. He opened his mouth to answer, but the twins had already stepped in, bored with trying to help Tamaki develop his image. "There's even a sidecar for Honey-senpai!" they chimed, looking mischievous.

At the sound of this, Honey's wailing grew louder. "Please, Takashi! Just a peek!" Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged pleased looks before sliding away to cause more havoc.

Haruhi realized just how out of control the club had gotten, what with Tamaki and Renge's arguing and Honey's loud wails. She turned to start escorting guests out of the room, but they had already gone. Every last chair was empty save for the members of the Host Club. Were they used to this sort of calamity? Prepared, even? It was all too ridiculous. Seeing as Kyouya had not budged an inch to attempt the quiet the group, Haruhi realized the responsibility fell on her shoulders. Walking over to Mori, who looked strained under all of the attention and his cousin's continued howls, she caught his attention with a hand on his sleeve. That feeling of worry was still gnawing at the back of her mind. "Aren't those bikes dangerous?" she asked, knowing full well the answer.

"Hn," he acknowledged, his face softening.

"Why would anyone want to put themselves into danger like that? It seems foolish to do something so risky," she said, frowning slightly. "Why would you even want the motorcycle, Mori-senpai?"

His dark eyes searched hers as Honey continued to wail at his feet about the bike. "I don't want it," he finally said.

The room fell silent, even Honey froze. The supposed wild-type didn't want a motorcycle, the epitome of freedom? "You don't want the motorcycle?" Honey asked quietly, his eyes wide.

Mori looked down at his cousin, expression stern. "No," he said.

* * *

"Mori-senpai, a motorcycle would be perfect for your wild-type fans! Imagine every last girl swooning with moe as they see you ride up to school in the mornings! Why, it's enough to make my knees weak!"

His face was blank. "No."

Renge was out of the running.

* * *

A small note was tucked in between the pages of Mori's book. He pulled it out to read it.

_Mori-senpai, please think this through! Imagine the romance of the open road! A fair maiden at your side, hair in the wind. How magical! How fantastic! Oh-_

Mori's dark gaze turned to find the King perched behind a couch across the room, peering at him. When their eyes met, lightning struck and the blonde wilted.

Tamaki had lost as well.

* * *

Kyouya, finding no benefit for him if Mori chose to ride the bike or not, did not attempt to persuade the senior. Instead, he took notes down in his notebook of the proceedings, including a friendly wager against Haruhi about who would win. She had resigned from the competition as well, considering she found the motorcycle a stupidly dangerous gift. A box of commoner's coffee was on the line.

* * *

The twins caught Mori-senpai as he was leaving kendo practice. Hikaru had a letter folded up in his hand that was dotted with gaudy pink hearts.

"Mori-senpai!" they chimed, each grabbing one arm. The man was immediately on guard, for the rest of the host club had been trying to convince him of that bike for the past week. What did the twins have in mind?

"This is for you," Kaoru said. Hikaru handed Mori the letter, who folded it open to find distinctly feminine handwriting sprawling across the page.

He couldn't hide his puzzled expression. "What is this?" he asked, his guard slipping.

"A confession letter from a girl in our class," Hikaru said boredly. "You may even know her, she comes to the Host Club quite often."

That faint tinge of pink spread across Mori's cheeks again, as he considered who the letter could be from. Wouldn't she know better than to give the letter to the twins?

The twins noticed the senior faintly blush. "Have someone in mind, do you? Then read it! Let's see what she has to say," Hikaru teased. They were unaware of Mori's affections, so to them, this was just icing on the cake. Mori started to silently read:

_Mori-senpai,_

_I have longed to be with you since we met. You are my light in the dark, my shelter in the storm. Unfortunately, I feel as though you are missing something from your life. Something we could do together, while you tell me of your dark past and uplifting dreams. Do you have such a thing? Do you acc-_

The paper was quickly crumpled into a ball and thrown at the waiting twins, and Mori brushed past them to go change for the Host Club.

They were out of the race, and Haruhi's bet along with them. She always believed the twins were the most underhanded of the group, and could surely bend Mori to their ways.

Now, it had come down to Honey, Mori's oldest friend, to convince the wild-type of taking the motorcycle. Kyouya sincerely believed he had bet on the winning horse.


End file.
